Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This book examines the lives of history’s most infamous women. It separates fact from fiction in the accusations of witchcraft, murder, and treason leveled against powerful women—and exploring the lasting impact of these false or exaggerated narratives.

I enjoyed the storytelling style in this book. The true histories of these well-known women were interesting and informative. I appreciated that the book included women outside of Western culture.

NetGalley, Andrea Romance

An interesting and well researched read. Lots of famous women here and some less well-known so this was an interesting mix.

NetGalley, Sarah Keeler

I found it fascinating and whilst some of the women I was familiar with, it made me want to read more on the others. I found this to be an easy, informative read, with the author helpfully providing additional reading recommendations at the end. Would highly recommend!

NetGalley, Donna Chadwick

I loved this. These were short story accounts of the lives of some of the most incredible women throughout history. Incredible, too, how this book featured women from different times and parts of the world, yet they were all vilified despite whatever great deeds they did. Easy, informative and interesting read.

NetGalley, C S

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

'The Most Maligned Women in History' shines a much-needed spotlight on a diverse array of women who have been unfairly vilified and misunderstood throughout the ages. From Cleopatra and Lucrezia Borgia to Wallis Simpson and Zelda Fitzgerald, Morris expertly dismantles the myths and misconceptions that have long tarnished these historical figures' legacies.

Thoroughly engaging and enlightening, 'The Most Maligned Women in History' is a must-read for anyone interested in reclaiming the narratives of these unjustly maligned women and gaining a deeper understanding of the forces that have shaped their legacies.

NetGalley, Laura Gill

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

There's a sort of black legend about some women like Lucrezia Borgia as they've been pictured as murderess and their position and/or power were seen as a bad thing.
I liked how this book re-establish the right image to these women.
Highly recommended.

NetGalley, Anna Maria Giacomasso

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I found this book such a fun read full of vivacious women who were not afraid to go beyond the status quo. I do hope Morris will write a sequel book and include even more women from the past who have been viewed as maligned and maybe include women from Africa, Australia, and South America to show women from even more diverse backgrounds. If you want a delightful and insightful book about women who had some bad reputations, I highly suggest you read, “The Most Maligned Women in History” by Samantha Morris.

NetGalley, Heidi Malagisi

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This was such an interesting read to be able to learn the truth about behind the falsehoods / fear behind these women's true stories.

NetGalley, A D

Very different from what I usually read, The Most Maligned Women in History narrates the biographies of 11 women across continents that have been unfairly treated by history.\r\nI actually enjoyed this book to the maximum possible extent. The author takes great care with her research, providing an adequate bibliography at the end. She tries to make the book more easily readable than a boring history lecture. And most of all, she centres this book around diverse experiences.\r\n\r\nWhile some stories I liked more than others, the book was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for me. I\'d honestly recommend it to anybody who shows the slightest interest in history.

NetGalley, readernotfound :)

I enjoyed it a lot—it was both informative and fun to read. I learned a great deal about some of the most maligned women in history, even those I thought I already knew well. The author introduced me to historical figures I hadn’t heard of before, which was a pleasant surprise.

One key takeaway from this book is that much of what we’ve heard or "know" about these women is based on rumor or propaganda. The author does a great job of separating fact from fiction, showing that these women were far more complex and interesting than history often gives them credit for. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about the fascinating women of the past.

NetGalley, Becca Geary

This book was a fun read with a lot of history thrown in. I personally didn’t know a lot of the info, so I definitely think that made the book more interesting to me. It’s also a pretty consumable writing which I appreciated.

NetGalley, Hannah Rebandt

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Most Maligned Women in History by Samantha Morris is a fascinating read, concerning some of the most (in)famous of women from Lucrezia Borgia and Joan of Arc, to Lizzie Borden.
My knowledge of each of these women is limited, except to say that I understand they are notorious for their crimes - not an uncommon perception when I ask among my friends. What is less known, are their achievements and the struggles that they faced. The stories about these women are mainly just that, stories. The truth is far more varied and fascinating.
The Most Maligned Women in History is an accessible and easy read and one that I heartily recommend. It's intriguing to read a little about each of these women and I am buying another of Samantha's books as I want to learn more about Lucrezia Borgia.

NetGalley, Maria Flaherty

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

‘And now, without any further ado, let us begin our journey into the lives of some of the most maligned women in history’.

When I seen the cover for this book and read the description, I was HOOKED!

Learning about these women was really interesting!

Some women we learn about are, Cleopatra, Empress Wu, and Lizzie Borden.

‘For women with power, or land, others wanted what she had and would go above and beyond to take it from her.’

The author has provided a list of further reading at the end of the book…. Not ideal for my never ending TBR!!!

A must read for history, true crime and women of history readers.

NetGalley, Georgi Lvs Books

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Concisely told short bios of notorious women - what’s not to like? Morris manages to escape the trap of other, similar books - she never maligns other women while apologizing for her main subject. A fun book for people (like me!) who enjoy this sort of thing.

NetGalley, Tammy Buchli

It’s packed with cool stories about historical women like Joan of Arc, Marie Antoinette, Anne Boleyn, and more. Every time I read about someone, I couldn’t resist googling their pictures, castles, or the names that popped up, it really brought the stories to life!... Overall, I had a great time reading it and learned a lot. Definitely worth checking out!

NetGalley, fardatul husniah

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I LOVED THIS.

The selection of women here is *chef's kiss* and the writing style is simply phenomenal.
I couldn't put this down!!

Plus I learned quite a lot.

NetGalley, Eloise Falcone

I really enjoyed this book. it was an interesting compilation of several stories of maligned women in history- as the title says. it is exactly what it states. the book explores a variety of larger than life women from Marie Antoinette to Lizzie Borden.
History is often written by men and the oppressors, this book brings up good questions and discusses the women with intrigue but a fair amount of fair skepticism- sharing each side fairly.
A good pick up for fans of feminist literature- and a great pick if you want to read something that isn’t intense or a long book on each woman. i enjoyed the photos at the end as well.

NetGalley, Charlie Jackson

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

A fabulous collection of accounts of the lives and characters of some fascinating women across different times and places. The author writes with an appropriate dash of humour here and there to make the sometimes dark content easier to stick with and is always careful to include context so we can place the woman in the time in which she lived. The selected accounts are interesting in themselves - from royalty to accused murders, this is truly a diverse selection.

NetGalley, Louise Gray